


Starting Over

by Chrissy6299



Category: Highlander: The Series
Genre: After Mac recovered, Gen, Happy Ending, M/M, Or one sided, Post Dark-Quickening, Pre-Slash Duncan/Richie, Season 5 non-compliant
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-02
Updated: 2019-03-02
Packaged: 2019-11-08 04:34:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,024
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17974592
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chrissy6299/pseuds/Chrissy6299
Summary: After Duncan recovered from the dark-quickening, he realized it was time to start over. He wants a new place, a new identity, and a new set of rules, but he doesn’t want to do it alone. He just has to convince Richie to forgive him for almost killing him; before Richie loses his head and after he tells Richie that he loves him.





	Starting Over

**Author's Note:**

> All 6 seasons are available on Amazon Prime! This story was written as I was rewatching season 5. It is set at the beginning of Season 5.  
> As a creative choice I use ‘Duncan’ when the story is told from Duncan’s point of view, but ‘Mac’ when the story is told from Richie’s point of view.  
> This story is not beta’ed. Any and all mistakes are mine.  
> I do not own Highlander nor any of the characters.

Duncan MacLeod walked into the Dojo for the first time in months, surprised to see the doors open. His heavy duffle bag slipped off his shoulder as he dropped it in shock. Not only was the Dojo open and had customers working out, but the buzz of an immortal also confirmed that his eyes were not playing tricks on him; Richie Ryan was sitting in the office, looking straight at him.

The last time he had been here, it had been just him and Richie, and luckily Joe Dawson whose bullets stopped the Dark-Quickening inflicted Duncan MacLeod from taking his best friend’s head. After Methos had helped Duncan overcome the Dark-Quickening, he had been too ashamed to return to Seacouver right away, too ashamed even to ask Dawson about Richie.

Duncan steadied himself, forced himself to pick up his duffle, and mentally had to encourage his legs to walk across the Dojo floor towards the office. He was not ready for it, but even after 400 years, life still didn’t care what you were or were not ready for, it just kept on throwing you curve-balls and kicking you when you were down.

Richie had returned to whatever was on the computer screen, but as MacLeod came closer, he could clearly see that it was an act. Richie was staring ahead and had a forced blank look on his face.

Duncan stopped at the doorway, not wanting to crowd the younger man. Richie remained seated, but as Duncan looked down, he saw Richie’s rapier in his right hand, resting against his leg. Seated but ready for a fight if needed.

“Hi,” Duncan started, at a loss of what to say, but looking directly at Richie. He wasn’t sure of what he feared more, seeing Richie scared of him or angry at him. “Thanks for taking care of the Dojo for me,” he continued lamely.

Richie shrugged and looked at Duncan for the first time since that horrible night. “Someone had to, and it’s not like I had anywhere else to go.” Duncan drowned for a minute in the emotions crossing Richie’s face. Yes, he was scared and angry, but what broke Duncan’s heart was the lost and insecure look in his eyes.

Sure, life had been hard on the kid, but he always had this optimistic outlook, this confidence in himself, and a trust in Duncan. Now that he saw the damage he had done, no excuses, at the end of the day it was him, Duncan MacLeod, who did this, he knew for sure that he could not go on like this.

“I’m… I’m better now, back in control, thanks to the help of some friends.”

Richie nodded but did not let go of his sword, and Duncan couldn’t blame him one bit. “Good,” Richie replied, still looking Mac in the eyes, as if to prove to him and probably himself that he wasn’t as scared, angry, and lost, as they both knew he was.

Duncan couldn’t help but sigh. This wasn’t the place for a more serious conversation, if Richie was even interested in having one. But Mac couldn’t help but have some hope seeing that Richie kept the Dojo open in his absence.

“I’m going upstairs, unpack, and maybe we can talk later… at Joe’s, or” MacLeod averted his eyes as he saw the look in Richie’s eyes turn suspicious. “or Father Matthew’s church?”

As MacLeod forced himself to look at Richie once more, he saw suspicious turn into panic and guilt?!? He took a step back, wanting to give the blond more space, but at the same time Richie got up, walking towards him without his sword.

“Um, actually, yeah, of course, just let me gather my things and I’ll be out of the apartment in minutes.” Richie walked towards to elevator, with MacLeod following numbly. A million questions were running through Mac’s mind, but they all vanished as he witnessed the moment when Richie realized that he had just unwillingly placed himself in an enclosed space with the man who betrayed him by trying to kill him just months ago.

Richie’s breath quickened, and his sword hand twitched as if it was an independent entity was missing his sword.

“I know you have no reason to believe me, Richie, but it’s okay, I’m not going to hurt you.”

Duncan’s reassurances somewhat had the desired effect. Richie’s fear was joined by anger once more along with a whispered but clearly sarcastic “sure.”

Both immortals let out a sigh of relieve as the elevator arrived at the apartment and Richie quickly got out, leading the way into the apartment. Duncan returned to the conversation they started downstairs. “You’ve been living here?”

Richie turned away, rummaging through the closet, supposedly looking for something to pack with. “Well, yeah, I didn’t mean to invade your space, Mac. But I only have access to your business account, and as you know the Dojo doesn’t really make much money, so I couldn’t afford the rent on my place.”

Duncan didn’t care about his space being ‘invade’. All he felt was hope; Richie kept the Dojo open and he moved into Duncan’s home. Richie was here, surely they could work things out, get back to the way things where. No, no, they couldn’t go back, never back, but maybe they could go forward, together.

“Stop!” Duncan exclaimed perhaps a bit too harsh, but it did make Richie freeze in place as he was starting to fill the bag he had found with his clothing from the closet.

“What?!?” Richie said while shooting a frustrated and confused look toward Duncan.

“Don’t move out, you have every right to live here.” Duncan tried to explain.

Tried being the operative word, seeing that Richie went back to packing, though now the anger was back. “I don’t need your pity, or guilt, or whatever.”

“I know,” Duncan started, trying to find a way to put his throughs and feelings into words. “That’s not how I meant it. Look, when Tessa and I took you in, it wasn’t just until you turned 18, or until you cleaned up your act, or even until your first death or your first head. We took you in because we saw your potential, we wanted you to be part of our family. And I know what I did was unforgivable, but I still want that.”

Richie froze in place, listening to Duncan, but not responding in any way.

Duncan moved to sit on the couch and continued. “I ended up in Paris, and like I said downstairs, I got help and got better, but not before… not before I killed an old friend of mine. And, and that was horrible, but all I could think about afterward was that that could have been you. It would have been you if it wasn’t for Dawson.”

Richie was still listening and had moved to sit on the armrest of the chair furthest away from where Duncan was seated on the couch. “Yeah, and?” he questioned, though it sounded more like “Yeah, I know, I was there.”

Duncan got up and started pacing behind the couch, in front of the bed. “And, I came here to sell the Dojo. I can’t stay here, I can’t stay in Paris, I need a new place, a new life, a new start.” Duncan saw Richie starting to respond but stopped him with a gesture and continued. He wasn’t done and needed to say it all. Then Richie could tell him to go to hell and leave him alone, but at least he tried.

“In the meantime I was going to search for you, ask for your forgiveness, and ask you to come with me, because after everything, I want to leave it all behind, but not you Richie, you are family. I hope you can forgive me for not being strong enough to fight the Dark Quickening, and that you’ll want to start a new life with me.”

Duncan stopped pacing about halfway through, and was frozen in place looking at Richie, who seemed just as frozen.

“Wow!” Richie started after a minute of silence. “I didn’t see that coming.” Richie rubbed his hand over his face, a face that now betrayed his exhaustion of sleepless nights, nightmares, and financial stress. “Mac, I can’t just…”

“I know, just, think about it. I’ll go for now, let you process, and I’ll come by tomorrow to work out, and we’ll go from there.”

Richie stayed silently seated as Duncan let himself out of his own apartment.

\------------

A scream broke the silence of the night in the apartment above the Dojo. A sweat-soaked Richie sat straight up in bed, trying to catch his breath and calm his racing heart.

The nightmares were always the same; him and Mac in the Dojo, him losing his head just as he wakes up screaming. Tonight, that was after Richie had finally fallen asleep after tossing and turning for hours playing his conversation with Mac over and over in his head.

Richie took another deep breath, shook his head, and peeled off his clothes as he headed for the shower. As he stood under the too hot water, Richie couldn’t stop his mind from going back to his conversation with Mac.

It was crazy! Richie had trouble just being in the same room with Mac, yet he wants him to forgive him and move who-knows-were together and start a new life? It seemed impossible. Mac may be better, but Richie was a hot mess. He was scared, angry, paranoid, and exhausted. These last few months, he had tried to stay inside as much as he could, while keeping his life as much the same as it had before.

Perhaps that’s why, despite the craziness, Richie had understood Mac’s idea of moving away and starting over. Trying to pretend things were the same sure didn’t work for Richie. He hadn’t gotten better; perhaps he had actually been getting worse.

But living with Mac? Richie had gotten his own place after Tessa had died. Before, they had been somewhat of a family, Richie could agree with that. It sure was the best family he ever had. But after, his relationship with Mac had been a mixture of awkward moments, Mac working him too hard (his version of tough love), and a few good moments in between that reminded him of their first few years together. He had missed that closeness, and often played the ‘what if Tessa hadn’t died’ game.

Could they get that back? Could Richie not only forgive Mac but also trust him again? What did Mac mean with a new start? Even Richie knew that moving to a new place didn’t change much, the same old problems tended to follow you around unless you made some actual changes in your life.

Richie turned off the water, toweled himself off, and put on some clean boxers and a shirt. He walked over to the couch and got comfortable, not wanting to deal with the sweat-soaked sheets on his bed. He wanted to get over _this_ , but didn’t know how, just that he obviously couldn’t do it alone. Perhaps if they both tried, they could work together to fix their relationship.

For the first time in months, Richie could imagine a future. While imagining, he fell into a nightmare-free sleep and finally got some rest.

\------------

As promised, Duncan walked into the Dojo the next day, and started working out. After about an hour, Richie still hadn’t acknowledged him, and he was starting to doubt himself. He had thought that their conversation the day before had gone pretty well. However, Richie had spent the last hour talking with other customers and working in the office.

After a shower and changing, Duncan walk to the office, recreating the same scenario as the day before.

This time though, Richie looked up and was the one to say “Hi.” No sword visible at his side.

“How about going out for lunch?” Duncan asked casually.

Unfortunately, Richie simply shook his head, not letting his face betray any of his emotions.

Duncan nodded, “Okay, I’ll see you tomorrow then.” He pushed off the door frame he was leaning on and turned to leave, wanting to push, but knowing that giving Richie space would probably work better.

“Actually,” Richie started, surprising Duncan. “I don’t know if I’m ready, but I want to try.”

Duncan pushed down the giddiness of hope wanting to burst out, and forced himself to calmly ask “Try?”

“Come back after closing, and we’ll train together.” Richie explained, though Duncan could hear the strain in his voice, making it clear that he indeed didn’t know if he was ready. It didn’t matter though, Duncan couldn’t help the big smile that came to his face. He nodded and retreated. “See you then.”

\------------

It was the slowest day in Duncan’s life, but eventually the clock turned 7 pm: closing time. He walked in as the last group of customers walked out. He was dressed for the occasion and ready for whatever Richie was willing to do.

He found Richie sitting on one of the benches with a quarterstaff in his hand, another staff resting on the other side of the bench. Duncan slowly reached for the staff but resisted the urge to sit next to Richie. Space, he needed to give the younger man space and time.

Richie looked up at him but didn’t move. “Mac, I’m scared, I’m angry, I don’t trust you, and I don’t know if I can ever forgive you.”  Richie paused to gather his thoughts. “However, I do know that I’m tired of being scared, and I, I don’t know, I guess I hope that training together will help.”

“I’m sorry.” Duncan started, but then changed his tactic. Richie doesn’t need an apology, they need time to reconnect and rebuild their relationship. “That sounds like a good idea. Anything you need, let me know. I want us to work together and fix things between us, whatever it takes.”

Richie got up and went to the mat. “Let’s train and the rest we’ll see. No holding back now.”

“Alright,” Duncan agreed as he joined Richie on the mat. “No holding back.”

They didn’t speak, but after a hesitant start, it was a good training session. They trained for about an hour, then went their separate ways.

The next day, Duncan repeated the schedule: Work out at the Dojo before lunch, then invite Richie to lunch only to be told no, but with a confirmation to train together at 7pm. However, this time after their training session Richie asked a question.

 

“Where would we go?”

Duncan was toweling down and surprised at the question but recovered quickly. “I was thinking New York, Conner has a nice place in Woodbury, about an hour north of the city.”

Richie simply nodded, not sharing his thoughts or opinions. “See you tomorrow, Mac” He said as he walked towards the elevator.

Duncan continued his routine, and Richie kept the questions coming, one question a day. Duncan decided it was a good thing; they were getting more comfortable with each other when fighting, and Richie seemed to be considering his offer. Which was good, because the For-Sale sign already hung outside the Dojo, and Duncan was eager to get away and start anew.

 

“Starting all over, how would we do that?” was Richie’s next question.

“Well, we’ll get new IDs, new backgrounds, and as I mentioned a new house in a new town.”

 

“Yesterday, you explained about getting new identities, but how would we make sure we change the rest for the better?”

“I want to keep to ourselves and enjoy life. I know the Gathering is near, and I’m not running from it, but I’m done with the drama. If either of us runs into another immortal, we’ll fight and move on. No more trying to help others, no more judging others. No more old friends whom I think I can trust and then end up hurting us. Just the two of us.”

 

“Why me?”

“Life’s better with you around. I’ve had many friends over the centuries, but none ever stuck around. Hell, even Amanda and I can only stand each other for short periods of time. And… let’s face it, half of them I end up killing. I almost killed you, and that hurt me more than killing any of my other friends.”

 

Each time Richie simply listened to Duncan’s answer and then went upstairs for his shower. Until day 6 of their new routine.

It was after Duncan’s workout in the morning, and his usual stop by the office to say hi and check if Richie wanted to go out for lunch. Expecting Richie to turn him down once again, Duncan was shocked when Richie said “How about we go to Joe’s? I haven’t seen him in forever.” Duncan agreed, please to get to spend more time with Richie and perhaps even actually speaking with him beyond the once a day question and answer session.

Richie insisted on each taking their own vehicle but drove his bike right behind Duncan’s car, so they walked into Joe’s together. Joe greeted them with a smile and a “we missed you around here.” They went through the motions of ordering drinks and lunch, but otherwise remained silent until the food arrived and Joe got the hint and gave them space.

Then came the next question. “What was it like? What was going through your head when you tried to kill me?” The question was filled with emotion; Richie’s eyes were filled with tears as he looked down at his food. It wasn’t an easy question, but one Duncan understood had to be addressed.

“It was like I was in the back seat, with flashes of other immortals in the driver’s seat. One more evil than the other. I felt their joy of hurting you, hurting me, but the experience was too new for me to stop them, to take back control of my body. Over time, on my way to Paris, and when first arriving in Paris, I was able to get control back for short periods of time, but never long. Not until Methos figured out how to help me.”

“I can’t imagine how that feels.” Richie acknowledged.

Duncan shrugged. “And I can’t imagine how it feels to have your best friend and teacher try to kill you.”

Richie nodded, “Terrifying.”

“Life changing.” Duncan added.

They ate for a few silent moments, both busy with their own thoughts. “Someone came by today, asking about the Dojo being for sale. I gave him the business card of your realtor like you asked.” Richie stated.

“Thanks. You know, buying a company isn’t done overnight. You should at least have another month in the apartment if you choose not to join me in New York. Plus, I owe you back-pay and severance pay, so you’ll have some money to find your own place and a new job.”

Richie smiled, a rarity lately. “Yeah, but either way I have to start over. We’ve still got a long way to go, but I think we’re headed in the right direction. So, yes, Mac, let’s move to New York and start a new life, together.”

“Just like that?” Duncan questioned in surprise.

Richie shrugged. “No, not _just_ like that. I’ve been thinking about it for a week now. I like your goal; changing the way things have been. We both need that, and doing it together sounds a lot better than going about it alone.”

“I’m glad to hear that, Richie.” Mac replied, his heart filled with relief, love, and excitement. He had plans, great plans!

“So, what do we do next?” Richie questions.

“I’ll call Conner and arrange the house.” Duncan explained. “I’ll also get him to arrange the new ID’s and background paperwork. His guy is really good, but that means it will take a week or two, so don’t start packing yet.”

They paused their conversation as the waitress cleared their table and brought out the check. “What about Dawson?” Richie questioned.

“I don’t know, how about we ask him.” Duncan turned to the bar where Joe was chatting with one of his customers, and easily caught his eye and motioned him to come over.

“Gentlemen, a problem with the food or the service?” Joe asked with a broad smile.

“Other than actually receiving a bill, no we’re good. Have a seat Joe, we’ve got to talk.” Together Duncan and Richie filled him in on their plans.

“New York? Well, that’s closer than Paris.” Joe answered casually.

“Actually Joe,” Duncan started, and paused to find the right words. “As we said, our goal here is to make some real changes, and well, nothing personal, you know you’re a good friend to us both, but any chance you can forget to assign us a watcher?”

Joe looked surprised and not very pleased. Duncan bit his tongue, stopping himself from backpaddling. Change needed to start with him, and he and Richie had to come first, not pleasing all his friends.

Joe shook his head “I’m sorry, I understand what you’re trying to do Mac, but I can’t do that.” He pursed his lips. “This is what I can do, I’ll remain your watcher but stay here in Seacouver. Also, I’ll keep what you told me about your plans off the records, which means we won’t find Richie again until another immortal’s watcher spots him. After that, I’ve got to assign him a new watcher.”

“Sounds fair,” Richie responded. “Thanks Joe, that means a lot.”

As they walked out together, Richie remember Duncan’s earlier explanation of what happened in Paris. “Wait! What? Methos?!? You’re friends with the 5,000-year-old Methos? I thought he was a myth!”

\------------

“Conner! You, my man, are impossible to get a hold-off.” Duncan started their phone conversation.

“Duncan, good to hear from you, cousin. I’ve been hearing rumors and I’ve been worried about you.”

“Then maybe next time you should call me, I’ve got a mobile phone, perhaps it would do you well to join this decade in time for the new century.” Duncan missed Conner, it had been too long. “Anyway, yes, it’s been rough, but I’m working on it and I’ll be alright. Actually, that’s why I’m calling, to ask you for a favor.”

“Of course, anything to help. Name it.” Conner replied honestly.

“You still got your house in New York?”

“I do. Do you need the place for a bit?”

“Actually, I was hoping Richie and I could live there for the next 10 years.”

“Ah, Richie, I have heard about what happened to Tessa and figured Richie was with her at the time. I’m sorry for your loss cousin, she was a remarkable woman. And I’m sorry for the loss of the boy’s mortal life, he was too young, how is he doing?”

Duncan pushed down the familiar pain at the mention of Tessa and focused on Conner’s question. “Richie’s no longer a boy Conner, he was 19 when he was shot, and has matured a lot since then. And to answer your unspoken question; he’s talented and works hard, but of course lacks experience. Perhaps you can come visit sometime and work with him?”

“I would like that, an excuse to come see you. I’m in Japan right now, and I’ve got a few more _appointments_ , but I’ll add you to my to-do list. Anything else I can help with?”

“Actually, yes, is your ID guy still in the business?” Duncan questioned.

“But of course, just give me the details and I’ll get him right on it. Are you still at your last address, the Dojo? I’ll have him courier it to you.”

“Thanks, Conner. So, for both of us we’ll need birth certificates, passports, driver licenses, a high school degree for Richie, and a for me a bachelor’s degree in… art history will do” Duncan continued to give Conner the names and dates of birth he wanted on the documents and then added his last request.

“You want what?!?” Conner all but screamed in shock in Duncan’s ear. “For real? Wow, I sure need to visit you more often.” Conner chucked.

“Just do it Conner, please.”

“Sure, whatever you want cousin of mine.”

\------------

Richie felt another immortal just ahead of the knock on the door. It was probably just Mac; others wouldn’t knock and wait to be let in, yet his rapier was in his hand as he opened the door. He and Mac had been getting better, both their relationship and them individually, but neither of them would claim to be there yet.

Richie hadn’t actually used his sword since that night, and he was starting to feel like it was turning into a big thing, this mental roadblock that was getting more worrisome as time went on. He was starting to fear running into an immortal who wanted to fight. Well, more so than usual.

“Morning” Mac greeted as walked in when Richie opened the door. He eyed the rapier, but otherwise ignored it. Normally he would inquire if Richie was expecting someone with a balanced dose of humor and concern, but they weren’t there yet, and Richie realized that perhaps they were further away from ‘being there’ than he had thought.

“What’s up, Mac?” Richie asked as he placed his sword on the coffee table before returning to his breakfast. Motioning to Mac to help himself if he pleased. It was the first time Mac had come up to the apartment since the day he returned.

Mac poured himself a cup of coffee and sat down across from Richie. “That potential buyer from the other day made a reasonable offer. I told the realtor to go ahead and accept it. They’re asking for the keys to be handed over in two weeks. That’s kind of soon for this kind of business transaction, but our papers should arrive within a week, so it works out alright.”

Richie nodded as he listened to Mac, but otherwise didn’t respond.

Mac faltered “You alright?”

Richie swallowed a too hot sip of coffee and winced. “Yeah, well no, but I’m good with the Dojo and moving, I didn’t change my mind or anything like that.”

“Okay,” Mac put his own cup down. “Then what’s going on?”

Richie got up to clear away his breakfast plate to give himself something to do. “Two things I’ve been thinking of. One, there’s no reason for you to stay in a hotel for the next week or so. This is your home too, and the couch is quite comfy.”

Mac looked around, he didn’t mind sharing the place, he just wanted to give Richie space. “Yeah, okay, thanks. I’ll move back in today.”

The silence stretched for a few minutes before Mac gave Richie his usual look with “Richie…” in that tone of voice he’s been using since Richie was 17.

“I just, I haven’t used my sword since that night. I haven’t run into anyone and had no one to train with, and now, now I feel rusty… and scared.” Richie spoke rushed, ending in a near whisper.

Mac heard it all nonetheless and felt his heartbreak some more as he was seeing another layer of the damage he had done. “Right, well, we can fix that. I was just telling Conner that you’re talented, we just need to get you back into things and it will be like riding a bike. The question is, are you ready to train with me with a sword?”

Richie looked straight at Mac at his frank question. He couldn’t help to acknowledge that that was the true problem. He shook his head, “I’m sorry Mac, but I don’t think I can yet.”

“No apologies needed, we’ll get there.” Mac replied casually. “In the meantime, I think Methos is back in town, I can give him a call.”

“Methos? Yeah, sure, no pressure!” Richie called out in shock.

“Relax, he’s just a guy like you and me, only older. I trust him with my life, and I’ll stay if you want. I’ve actually been meaning to get you to train with someone else, it’s good to learn from different people.”

“Alright,” Richie agreed, not sounding all that confident, “Tonight, our usual time?”

“Sounds good, and in the meantime I’ll get my things and check out of the hotel.”

\------------

As Duncan moved his things back into the apartment, he called Methos, who, unlike Conner, had a mobile phone, and asked about him coming in for that evening’s training session. Methos has sounded surprised but willing to help.

Richie and Duncan were cleaning up the Dojo when Methos walked in, a little past 7 pm.

“Richie, nice to see you again.” Methos greeted.

“Adam, you’re Methos?” Richie recognized the man he had met once before.

“Yes, sorry for the deception. I quite prefer being a myth, keeps the headhunters off my scent. I use Adam Pierson in public, only a few close friends know that I am Methos.”

“No worries, I understand.” Richie responded.

“I see the For Sale sign turn into a Sold sign. Dawson told me you two were moving, though he wouldn’t tell me where to.”

“Yeah, we too are looking to lay low for a while. You’re welcome to come visit though, I’ll reach out to you once we’re all settled.” Duncan explained.

“Alright,” Methos expressed his understanding. “So, what’s the problem and why am I here?”

“Um,” Richie spoke up, just as Duncan was about to explain. “I haven’t used a sword for 4 months now, and while Mac is willing to help, I’m not ready to fight him with a sword yet.”

Duncan realized what Richie did there and was proud. Normally Richie would take the easy way out by letting Duncan explain, but it seemed that Richie was committed to change as much as Duncan was.

“That’s a good way of getting yourself killed Richie,” Methos scolded. “Well, we can’t undo what has been done. Let’s get started, show me what you’ve got.”

Methos took out his sword and put away his jacket before facing Richie. Richie in the meantime stood frozen, eyes wide looking at the sword.

Duncan gently put his hand around Richie’s right wrist and lightly pulled him to face him. He felt Richie’s pulse racing under his fingers. “Richie, it’s okay. No one is going to hurt you.” Duncan whispered as Methos took a few steps back.

Richie seemed to shake himself out of his trance, and took a deep shuddering breath, then another.

Duncan reached with his other hand for the rapier, handed it to Richie, and raised his voice to a normal level so that Methos could hear. “Richie, start by attacking Methos. Methos will only defend himself; this way he can see what you’ve learned from me.”

With a gentle push and finally letting go of Richie’s wrist, Richie turned around to face Methos. Slowly and hesitantly they started to fight. By the end of the hour, Richie was a lot more confident, and they said goodbye to Methos with grateful smiles on their faces and a promise from Methos to return the next day.

\-------------

Two days later, Richie was riding his bike on his way back from visiting Maria Alcobar, when he felt the presence of another immortal. He pulled off the road and parked his bike, taking off his helmet as he reached for his sword. On the other side of the road was a shady looking bar, and an immortal, sword in hand, walking towards the back of the building, silently inviting Richie to follow.

Richie’s heart was pounding, yet he followed. This is what he and Mac had been talking about, though it had been more Mac’s issue than his, “we’ll fight and move on.” No more trying to help others, no more judging others.

“Carter Wellan,” the immortal with long blond hair said as greeting.

“Richie Ryan,” Richie introduced himself, and with that, the fight began.

They exchanged blows pretty equally, and the fight lasted quite long before Richie got the upper hand and received the other guy’s quickening. When Richie had somewhat recovered, he returned to his bike just as he felt another immortal approach. Retreating after a quickening didn’t count as running Richie quickly decided and drove off on his bike. To his relieve, Richie saw in his rear-view mirror that the other immortal chose to go to the ‘scene of the crime’ instead of following him.

Richie made his way upstairs to the apartment as he felt the presence of another immortal. Mac, it had to be Mac. Still somewhat shaken by the unexpected encounter and the quickening, Richie let himself into the apartment and found Mac in the kitchen making lunch. A second later, Mac seemingly magically appeared in front of him; eyes concerned and asking him if he’s alright, what happened?

Richie looked down at himself and realized that the torn and sliced through clothing gave away what happened. He took a step back, away from Mac, then walked to the couch and dropped himself onto it.

“I’m fine, well, my head is still attached, and the other guy’s head isn’t, so I guess I’m fine.” Richie laid back and closed his eyes. “It was a close one though,” Richie admitted.

He opened his eyes after a minute, when he heard Mac place a drink on the coffee table in front of him. He looked at Mac who was sitting on the coffee table, downing his own drink. “Thanks, Mac. If it wasn’t for you and Methos, there was no way I would have won today.”

Mac smiled “Of course, I’m just grateful you’re still here with me. Who was it?”

Richie shrugged, “Carter Wellan, I think.” Richie saw Mac’s eyes widen. “What?”

“Well,” Duncan explained, “Carter Wellan was 900 years old. Not a great swordsman, but good enough to be around for that long.”

“Oh, wow!” Richie exclaimed in shock.

“Told you, you’ve got talent Richie.” Mac grinned proudly, but then he sobered. “However, Wellan usually travels with Haresh Clay. Did you notice anyone else around?”

Richie nodded, feeling dread in his veins. “Yes, afterwards, as I drove away on my bike another immortal came and went towards the body.”

Mac sighed, clearly unhappy. “Okay, no worries. You get some rest, and I’ll take care of Clay.”

“But Mac,” Richie protested, but Mac interrupted him.

“Relax Richie, I’ve got some unfinished business with Clay; I can handle him.” With that he got his coat and left Richie behind on the couch.

Richie sighed. Sure, relax, no problem. He knew Mac’s expressions well enough that he wasn’t happy when Richie confirmed he had seen Clay, that he was worried, which meant that now Richie was worried.

\---------------

The buzz on another immortal penetrated Richie’s sleep slowly, too slowly as his unconscious expected it to be Mac returning home. It was the quiet laugh just above him that really startled him awake, and pure instinct caused Richie to roll off the couch as a sword came down in the place where his head was resting just second ago.

Richie clumsily reached out for his sword on the coffee table as the next blow quickly followed. He awkwardly tried to block the sword stroke, but Clay’s sword struck Richie’s rapier at the wrong angle, braking Richie’s sword in two.

Not wasting time, Richie threw the half he was still holding at Clay’s face as he made a run for it toward the stairs to the roof. His familiarity with the building would be Richie’s only advantage over Clay. He quickly dashed away, behind one of the A/C units, where there was a fire safety ladder hidden. Clay followed, but more slowly and cautiously, giving Richie time to get away.

\---------------

Duncan rode the elevator up. He had hoped to have found Clay quickly and be done with it. No drama was the goal; fight to the death as was their destiny, leave the guilt, revenge, and judgment out of it. He had even gone to Dawson to see if he knew the whereabouts of Haresh Clay, but no luck.

Halfway up Duncan was distracted by the lack of presence of an immortal. Richie had been exhausted when he left him on the couch a few hours ago. What had driven him out of the apartment? An errant he had forgotten or something worse.

Duncan walked into the apartment and right away noticed the roof access was open. As he walked towards it, he saw Richie’s rapier in two pieces on the floor. “Richie, no!” He whispered harshly in dread.

Sword in hand, he ran up the stairs, onto the roof. There, he felt the familiar buzz, letting him know he wasn’t alone. “Richie!” He called out. He turned around to find Haresh Clay laughing, Richie nowhere in sight.

“Richie, so that was his name.” Clay jeered. “Tell me, did you know each other for 900 years? Are you going to miss him as much as I’ll miss Carter!?!”

Duncan took a breath, trying to focus through the anger and pain he felt. The fight began and ended in silence. The highlander won, though at that moment he wasn’t so sure that it was the outcome he had hoped for.

\---------------

Duncan made his way down, closed the roof access behind him, and reached the couch before he broke down in tears. He had finally figured things out, had looked forward to a good life with Richie, and just when it had been within his reach, it was all taken from him with the stroke of a sword.

He didn’t know how long he had been sitting on the couch, though his tears had long stopped, leaving only salt trails on his cheeks, when he felt the buzz of another immortal. Duncan was surprised to hear the elevator move and tried to squint through the elevator’s bars as it brought up Duncan’s guest.

Duncan stared in shock as the elevator door was pushed up to reveal Richie, still dressed in his torn clothes but with his head still very much attached. It took a while for Duncan to process what he was seeing. Then, he jumped up off the couch to tightly hug a very confused Richie. Tears, this time of joy, once again wetting his face.

Richie returned the hug for a while, but eventually interrupted the hug as it was clear that Duncan wasn’t going to let go any time soon. “Mac, still need oxygen here.”

Duncan abruptly let go, but only took a small step back. “It’s really you,” he whispered as he looked at Richie is awe, wiping his eyes and face dry as if to get a better look at him. “You’re alive!”.

“Barely. Seems lady luck likes me today, I ran and managed to lose Clay. Bastard ruined my sword!” Richie eyed his rapier still laying on the floor in pieces, and put the mental pieces together, explaining Duncan’s behavior.

“Oh, man, I’m sorry! You thought he killed me!?!” Richie exclaimed.

Duncan merely nodded as he returned to the couch, emotionally exhausted. “I found the roof access open and your sword in pieces. I ran upstairs to find only Clay waiting for me. He spoke of you as if you were dead. I guess he was trying to distract me so he could win… it didn’t work.”

Duncan got up, “I should dispose of the body, it’s still on the roof.”

Richie quickly placed his hands on Duncan’s shoulders and pushed him back down onto the couch. “We both had a hectic day, and no one ever goes on the roof. We’ll take care of Clay tomorrow, together.”

Duncan leaned back on the couch and closed his eyes trying to relax.

“How about I order pizza. I don’t think either of us is up for much, but we need to eat something.” Richie suggested, and Duncan agreed.

After managing to eat a few slices of pizza each, both immortals simply stayed seated on the couch, not moving, not talking.

Richie looked at the clock, only 8 pm. “Today was crazy, I declare that time is irrelevant. Time for bed!” He got up and disappeared into the bathroom, leaving Duncan still sitting on the couch.

Duncan’s mind drifted and his eyes closed, before startling awake a few minutes later looking around wildly for evidence that Richie was truly still alive. It wasn’t until he heard the shower running that Duncan calmed somewhat. Richie was dead or had been in Duncan’s mind this afternoon. He wasn’t, but it had been real for Duncan!

Richie interrupted the endless cycle of Duncan’s depressing thoughts as he walked out of the bathroom, dressed in his boxers and a white t-shirt, still toweling off his hair.

“You’re turn,” Richie informed while grabbing his pillow and blanket from the closet. Duncan didn’t move though. Richie sat down next to him on the couch “Come on Mac, you’re sitting on my bed.”

Duncan silently nodded and forced himself to get up, only to sit back down on the chair opposite the couch.

“Mac, I’m fine, you’re fine, and Wellan and Clay are dead. Go to bed!” Richie said exasperated.

Duncan waved a hand to the bed, “That’s too far away” … ‘from you’ was left unspoken, but they both heard it.

Richie’s response was the last thing Duncan expected though it was exactly what he wanted. “Well you can’t sleep in the chair, and to be honest, while the couch is comfortable, it’s not the same as sleeping in a bed.”

Richie got up again, grabbed Duncan’s hand to pull him up, and pushed him in the direction of the bathroom. “We’ll share the bed, but first, the bathroom!”

Ten minutes later, Duncan turned off the lights and crawled into his side of the bed. Richie was already half asleep on the other side and mumbled a “night, Mac.” Duncan settled in on his side to stare at Richie as the visual reminder that he was indeed alive. Five minutes later, both immortals were fast asleep.

\---------------

The next day, Mac stayed close by, seemingly still needing that visual confirmation that Richie was indeed still alive. After what happened, Richie couldn’t blame him, tried to be patient with him, and even left their sleeping arrangement the same. However, Richie was happy to see that the following day Mac was comfortable enough to leave the building that morning.

Richie was with a customer when Mac returned a few hours later. The smile on Mac’s face, while he made his way to the elevator, made Richie very curious about what was in the large bag Mac was carrying. He quickly but politely finished up his conversation with the customer and followed Mac.

“Lunch?” Mac questioned when Richie came into the apartment.

Too curious to wait, Richie got straight to it “What’s in the bag?”

Mac laughed out loud. “You, Tessa, Amanda; you all have no patience when it comes to opening gifts. What does that say about me?”

Richie chose to ignore all but the important part “It’s a gift, for me?”

“Yes, it’s for you. Go on, open it.” Richie was already at the coffee table where the bag was placed before Mac could even finish his sentence.

Without lifting it, Richie reached for the zipper. He wasn’t the kind of person to shake and listen to a gift to guess what it was, that was just a waste of time. Inside, wrapped in a cloth was a sword, Richie’s new sword.

Richie carefully unwrapped it and cautiously wielded the sword to get a feel for it. He smiled and turned to Mac. “Thanks!”

“Give it a try tonight when fighting with Methos. If it doesn’t feel right, we can try another. This claymore was Graham Ashe’s sword, an old friend which was my unfinished business with Clay. It seemed appropriate.”

“It’s a beauty, though it handles very different.” Richie observed.

Mac nodded. “The rapier was a lot lighter, but you’re stronger now, and I think this sword will serve you well.”

Richie felt like this was the first real tangible step to their new life. Logically it wasn’t even related, but Richie felt giddy and it made him look forward to the changes that were yet to come.

“Can we try it now?” Richie asked impatiently.

“It’s barely noon, the Dojo is filled with costumers.” Mac reminded him amused. “Plus, Methos has been very generous with his time. I don’t want him to change his schedule last minute because you’re too eager to wait.”

Not to be deterred, Richie knew just want to say to get Mac to agree. “We’ll go on the roof, just you and me!”

The look on Mac’s surprised face was comical. “Are you ready to fight with me?”

“Yes,” Richie said confidently with a smile. “Come on.”

Together they made their way to the roof, and for the first time in almost five months Richie felt he could trust Duncan MacLeod with his life once more.

\---------------

After two weeks of talking, decision making, and planning, change came quickly. Just yesterday, Richie was comfortable enough with him to practice with his new sword together, and this morning they were saying goodbye to serval regulars at the Dojo. The Dojo was closing for a few days while management was transferred to the new owners. This gave Duncan and Richie time to clean and pack up.

Duncan and Richie both turned as they heard someone come through the front doors of the Dojo, even though they placed the closed sign up at noon, just an hour ago.

“Hello,” a young man with a large envelope came in looking at them both. “Either of you Duncan MacLeod?”

Duncan stepped forward, “That’s me.”

“Wonderful, then if you please sign here, this package is all yours.”

Duncan signed and, realizing what it was, quickly became nervous. After 400 years, not much made Duncan nervous, but he took a big leap with this and he knew it could completely backfire.

Richie followed Duncan up to the apartment, “Are these our new papers?”

Duncan nodded, “Should be.”

“Well come on.” Richie prompted as Duncan took his time getting comfortable on the couch. “Let me see!”

Duncan couldn’t help but grin at Richie’s enthusiasm as he opened the envelope and started taking out items in a specific order. First their birth certificates.

Richie took both and looked them over. “Richie Jones, born in Seacouver, 1987. Aww, man, I’m back to being 18 again?!?” Richie wined.

“That way we can stay longer.” Duncan explained, knowing Richie hated being seen as a kid, once again mentally cursing the punk that took Tessa’s life and Richie’s mortal life when he did.

Richie moved on to Duncan’s birth certificate. “James MacLeod, born in Scotland, 1977. James?”

“You call me Mac, so I figured the first name didn’t matter.”

Richie shook his head. “Jones and James, real creative. Next time I’m in charge of our name changes. What else we have?”

Duncan smiled, as long as there would be a next time, he didn’t care what Richie changed their names into. Next, he handed Richie his high school diploma and his own bachelor’s degree.

 “I graduated high school! Awesome, thanks Mac.”

Duncan grinned.

“What?!?” Richie questioned suspiciously.

“Oh nothing, I’m just glad to see how happy you are with your high school diploma that you didn’t work for. Imagine how good it will feel to actually earn a college degree.”

“College? Why? I’m no good at that book learning stuff.” Richie protested.

“You never even tried,” Duncan countered. “They have a good community college in Woodbury with a variety of options, including associate degrees and vocational courses. Think about it.”

“Right.” Richie nodded but was clearly not convinced. “What else do you have in there?”

“Passports and driver licenses.” Duncan said without taking them out of the envelope. Richie’s enthusiasm had relaxed Duncan, but now he was getting nervous again. 

“Okay, so give me.” Richie reached over to the take the whole envelope, but Duncan kept it out of his reach.

“Alright, alright,” Duncan exclaimed as he handed over their new driver licenses next.

Richie took them and looked them over like he had with the other documents, but this time he fell silent.

Without saying anything, Duncan next handed over their passports.

Richie opened them, and Duncan knew that his young friend found the same name on his passport as he did on his license, taking away any chance of a mistake.

“Richie MacLeod?” Richie whispered apprehensively.

Knowing Richie as well as Duncan did, he knew that Richie was fearing that Duncan had done the one thing he knew Richie would hate, adopt him. He hadn’t. And while that would be a relief to the young man, Duncan had no idea how Richie would respond to the last paper in the envelope.

Without saying a word, Duncan took a deep breath and took out that last paper and handed it to Richie.

Richie took the paper, looked at it, and took a long minute to process what he was seeing. When he finally looked up, Duncan was happy to see just confusion and shock, not anger or worse.

Duncan slowly started to explain himself. “As I said, I want to be family, as equals, just the two of us.”

“A marriage license?!?” Richie said incredulously.

Duncan simply nodded and remained silent, feeling like Richie hadn’t heard what he had just said.

Richie placed the documents on the coffee table and got up off the couch. He walked to the kitchen, only to return empty-handed and walked to the liquor cabinet instead.

Duncan remained seated, quietly following Richie with his eyes. He knew he needed to explain himself, but he needed Richie’s attention first, he needed Richie to be ready to listen to him. He let Richie pour himself a generous drink and drown the shot like it was water. Luckily Richie seemed to have the same thought as Duncan: that wasn’t the answer. After looking at the bottle he was holding, Richie returned it to its place in the cabinet and placed the still empty glass on the coffee table as he returned to the couch.

“We’re married?” Richie questioned again, now somewhat calmer. “Why are we married?”

“I want us to be equals, family.” Duncan repeated part of his earlier explanation, but this time continued. “Our goal is to make big changes to make our life better. My main problem is my conscious, trying to be judge, jury, and only executioner if needed. To change, I’m going to stick with simply fighting and moving on whenever I run into another immortal.”

Richie nodded. “I understand and agree with all that, but what does that have to do with this?” Richie pointed to the marriage certificate still laying on the coffee table.

“We both need to make changes. For you, well, it’s usually women that get you in trouble. Which I completely understand, I mean, I don’t have a great track record with women and have trouble killing female immortals which has gotten me into trouble plenty of times.”

“So, you thought that taking women out of the equation altogether would be the way to go?” Richie cut in, still sounding incredulous.

“Yes.” Duncan answered short and to the point.

“Mac!” Richie couldn’t help but laugh.

Duncan shrugged, grinning hopefully.

“Seriously though.” Richie continued, “I’m not disagreeing with your points, but your solution seems a bit drastic.” Richie caught Duncan’s eyes. “Mac, this is something we have to talk about.”

Duncan kept their eye contact, as he admitted his motivation behind his solution ran deeper than simply solving their problem with women. “I love you and want to live with you as equals. Marriage has the same purpose, so it makes sense to me.”

Richie rolled his eyes at Duncan’s serious answer that completely ignored the main point. “We’ve been sharing a bed for the last few nights…” Richie let the comment hang, trying a different approach.

“With absolutely no ulterior motives, I promise you.” Duncan said indignantly. “I thought you were dead and then you weren’t!”

“Okay, okay, I understand, but considering that we’re now married, you can’t blame me for asking.”

Duncan sighed. It was good that Richie was asking questions instead of running away. From the start Duncan had trouble imagining how this conversation would go. After centuries, with a potentially unlimited number of years to go, immortals’ point of view on love and life isn’t as limited as the point of view of most mortals. You loved as you loved, you didn’t label it. Richie was so young though, he still had that traditional mental framework. “Ask anything you want, I’m just not sure how to explain myself. After centuries you learn that love is always one of a kind, no matter how many people you love, it’s never the same. Love is people wanting to be together in any way they both feel comfortable. Mortals tend to want to categorize, place people and love in boxes and create rules for those boxes, but life doesn’t work that way.”

After his heartfelt spiel, Duncan saw Richie grinning. “What?”

“What you’re saying makes complete sense. But Mac, I’m 22, not hundreds or thousands of years old!”

Duncan couldn’t help but smile. He knew where Richie was going with this, but he wanted to see how he brought it up. “I’m aware.”

Apparently, Richie finally chose the direct approach. “So, what about sex?”

Duncan shrugged non-committedly. “Like I said, love is wanting to be together in any way we both feel comfortable. When you’re interested, you can come to me, but consummating our marriage is not a must and not a conscious end goal for me.”

The look Richie was giving him made Duncan continue, copying Richie direct approach. “Our relationship is growing and changing, if you want to add sex to that now or in the future, I would be delighted. However, if you have no interest in sex with me, then I have no problem with keeping it platonic either.”

“So, just to make sure we’re on the same page here: my options are sex with you or no sex for at least the next 10 years?” Richie asked offended.

Duncan remained silent, felt heartbroken; that’s not how he saw it, that’s not how he wanted to treat Richie, but he couldn’t blame the 22-year-old for hearing that. “No, that’s not what, how…”

Richie interrupted. “Mac, relax, I heard what you said and how you meant it. I’m asking questions to get us to really talk about this and think about this. You got to think about it for a while since you arranged it, I just found out now.”

Duncan nodded, though could not make himself relax. His next offer hurt, which made him aware of how much he had already committed and devoted himself to this. “A mistress is another option, if you can do so without the drama. And of course, should you find the love of your life, I won’t stand in your way. I don’t own you Richie, and you don’t owe me anything, I just want you in my life for as long as you want to be in it. Just letting our relationship grow naturally and seeing where it goes was what I was going for.”

Duncan fell silent, feeling like he had been successful in making Richie understand his point of view.

Unfortunately, Richie has also gone silent and had not given any indication of what he was thinking. “I, I need to go…”

Duncan felt his heart stop and closed his eyes, not wanting Richie to see the pain he was causing. It was Duncan’s own stupid mistake, their friendship had been rocky from the get-go, how could he have expected pushing their relationship forward would be welcome to Richie. “This is your home, I’ll go.” Duncan all but whispered.

“What, no! Mac, I just need to think and clear my head. I’ll go for a bike ride.”

Richie got up, grabbed his key, and Duncan looked up just in time to watch Richie walk out the door, and potentially out of his life forever.

\---------------

Richie drove for hours, his mind jumping all over the place. He hadn’t seen this coming, at all! Was it guilt that had driven Mac to want to make such a commitment? No, Mac was a boy scout, he would only marry for love.

Love. Mac loved him, but how, in what way? Mac’s answer made it sound like he had no definition for it, no labels, no boxes, but then how was Richie to understand it and respond to it?

He would be delighted if Richie would want to have sex with him. That was the word he used, delighted. That didn’t sound like he had purely amicable intend. Sure, he said he would be fine with a platonic relationship, but that was clearly a compromise he was willing to make, not his main preference. Though Mac had also said that sex was not a conscious end goal for him, so it wasn’t so much of a compromise as it was that sex was an added bonus but not needed nor expected?

How long has he felt this way about him? Richie was only 17 when they first met, and pretty annoying he could now admit to himself. Plus, there was Tessa, there was no doubt: Mac had been completely head over heels in love with her. His love for her was in no way similar to Mac’s love for Richie. But that was Mac’s point, wasn’t it? Love is different each time.

Married. He, Richie Ryan was married. Sure, Mac would annul their marriage if Richie insisted, but did he want that? Mac had described marriage as people who love each other wanting to live together as equals. Richie couldn’t find fault with that. He had already committed to living with Mac the next 10 years. Their relationship had been an odd one with some rough patches here and there, but even Richie saw that there had been a mutual respect and love between them from the start.

Love, Mac refused to label it nor himself. Richie’s brain couldn’t do that though; he didn’t have 400 years of experience, he was a kid from the 70s, 1970s. Richie always saw himself as straight. He didn’t have a lot of luck with the ladies, but he never looked at men that way, he had never looked at Mac that way. Well, okay, he had looked at Mac’s body because how could you not envy the shape that man was in. That was jealousy, not lust or desire.

Perhaps that was a point right there. What did Richie know about love? Looking back, all his relationships were based on lust, not love. That’s why none of them lasted. Perhaps, after a few hundred years, lust is irrelevant and love is all that matters. 

Richie looked around for the first time beyond driving on auto-pilot and found that his unconsciousness had brought him to Joe’s. He was about to turn around when an idea popped into his head. Perhaps this marriage thing could solve one of their issues.

It was the middle in the afternoon, after lunch and before happy hour, and Richie found the place to be empty. “Joe?” he called out.

“Richie! How have you been? All packed and ready to go?” Joe Dawson greeted as he walked out from the back room.

“The Dojo is closed as of today, but no, we’re not done packing yet. We’ll leave in a few days though.” Richie replied as he sat down at the bar. “I actually came in to ask a pretty random question, and then I’ll be on my way again.”

“A random question, okay, shoot.” Joe grinned.

“Do you assign one or two watchers to married immortals?” Richie asked straightforwardly.

“Married immortals are pretty rare, but we’ve got a few. If they actually live together and don’t travel a lot separately, then we only assign one watcher. Why do you ask?” Joe eyed him curiously.

“Good to know, thanks Joe!” Richie replied as he got up to leave, ignoring Joe’s question.

“Sure, anytime. But, Richie …?”

Richie gave a quick wave and a smile as he walked off. “Later, Joe!” Leaving a very confused Joe behind. It was a simple thing, but Richie had some good news and while he hadn’t figured it all out, he felt ready to return home.

\---------------

As Richie made his way up to the apartment, he felt before he saw that Mac wasn’t home. He wasn’t sure if he was disappointed or relieved. The drive had helped, but he still wasn’t sure how to handle this marriage thing.

He dropped his keys on the table and walked to the fridge to get a soda. When he turned around, his eyes fell on the kitchen counter. On top were his new birth certificate and high school diploma. Besides the documents, was a blank envelope. Richie didn’t need to open it to know that it contained money.

Mac was giving him an out. Richie could take the new documents and cash and create his new life wherever he wanted, without Mac. Richie wasn’t even tempted to take this opportunely, and he guessed that said enough about what he wanted to do.

He sighed in frustration with Mac, who always felt the need to do the right thing. He wouldn’t fight for Richie to come with him. He had said his peace, and now he would respect any decision Richie would make. While this whole situation was confusing, the one thing Richie did not doubt was that Mac loved him.

Richie took his phone out of his pocket and hit speed dial #1. It rang for a long time, and Richie could imagine Mac debating over whether to answer or not. Eventually, Mac answered. Richie kept it short, no pleasantries. “Mac, come home.”

\---------------

Duncan stared at his mobile phone that was still signaling that Richie had hung up. Richie had asked, no, told him to come home. He could have taken the documents and money and disappeared, but instead, Richie had reached out to him.

For a while there, Duncan had been sure he had ruined everything. Yes, Richie had listened to Duncan’s reasoning for his actions, but in the end, it was clear that Richie had struggled to come to terms with or relate to Duncan’s feelings and point of view.

When Richie had left to go for a drive, he said he needed to think and clear his head. Duncan understood the need for time to think, but he feared that the outcome would be the same.

Duncan forced himself to get up off the bench he had found in the local park. The Dojo was just a few minutes away, and he slowly walked back home where Richie was waiting for him.

Soon he found himself by the side entrance, and the familiar buzz confirmed that Richie was home as he made his way up the stairs.

Inside, he found Richie at the breakfast bar, snacking on who knows what with an empty soda bottle on the counter. A typical scene of the last five years though today was anything but typical.

“Thank you for the offer,” Richie started with a nod to the documents and envelope with cash. “but no thanks. Like I said at Joe’s the other day, I rather start over together with you than all on my own.”

Duncan nodded, relieved to hear that but still not sure. “And marriage doesn’t change that?”

Richie shrugged. “At the end of the day, marriage is a commitment to each other, and we both already made that commitment when we decided to move to New York together.”

Richie took a few more bites, while Duncan stared at him, looking for a hint to what else Richie was thinking. It couldn’t be this easy.

“As you said,” Richie continued, “We should let our relationship grow naturally and see where it goes. Obviously, your feelings for me and your point of view of love are different than mine, but I won’t deny that love is part of our relationship. I guess we’ll figure things out as we go.”

“Are you sure?” Duncan questioned.

“I’m sure that I will rather be with you than be without you. That’s a good start, right?”

Duncan smiled, “It’s a great start.”

“Other than that, no, I’m not sure about any of the rest.” Richie went on. “However, I believe in the concept of marriage and what it stands for.”

“Meaning?” Duncan asked confused as to what Richie was trying to say.

“This morning you mentioned a mistress. I know you offered because I questioned you and because of your desire to do the right thing, but this marriage is between you and me. I don’t want either of us to ever have to question each other. For at least the next ten years, you and I will be faithful to each other, there will be no one else…. not even Amanda.”  Richie finished firmly.

Duncan couldn’t help himself, the joy that Richie’s words brought was overwhelming. He closed the distance between then, gently took Richie by the arm to guide in off the stool he had been sitting on and embraced him in a hug.

It took a few seconds, but then Duncan felt Richie relax into the hug. After a while, Duncan released Richie and took a small step back. “Just you and me.” He agreed. “We’ll figure out the rest together.”

\---------------

Three days later, James ‘Mac’ MacLeod and Richie MacLeod said goodbye to Joe Dawson, their friend and only watcher. Then, they walked hand in hand toward the airport to catch their flight to New York. The matching wedding rings on their individual hands symbolized the start of their new life, together.

 

The End


End file.
